Afternoon Delight
by mabelreid
Summary: Someone gets caught daydreaming about someone else
1. Gratuitous Drooling

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n the muse made me write after she was 'inspired' by a photograph that now resides on my desktop background. I am thinking of writing another chapter giving Reid a chance at his own daydream. Let me know what you think or if you want Reid to have his say about Emily _**

**_Gratuitous Drooling _**

Emily looked up at the clock on the wall as though it had personally insulted her. The big hand hovered at three while the small hand stayed stuck on two. It was as if someone had stopped time in its tracks.

She dragged her eyes back down to the file on her desk. It was supposed to be a simple case of several hit and run accidents that looked like hero homicide in Florida.

She sighed closed the file and glanced up at Reid's desk. He wasn't there. _Probably off to get another in the endless cups of coffee he lived on. _She thought with some amusement. They all loved the hot concoction, but none as much as Reid did.

He reappeared several minutes later and her eyes widened. She hadn't noticed he'd taken off the suit jacket he'd been wearing that morning. He still wore a white dress shirt with navy blue pin stripes, no tie and a pair of navy slacks. The black leather belt around his waist accentuated something she hadn't bothered to notice. Dr. Spencer Reid had a rather nice body.

He sat down behind his desk and reached for a file. As his arm stretched out, she saw a line of developed muscle running up his forearm and above his rolled up sleeve. _When did he start filling out?_

She swallowed hard and yanked her eyes up to his face. Mercifully, he wasn't watching her watching him. He had gone to the 'zone' as JJ put it. A bomb could go off right next to him and he wouldn't notice. Thank God, he couldn't see the flush she felt creeping up on her face.

Speaking of faces… His new haircut set off his, sculpted by God himself face, in a way that sent little butterflies careening around in her stomach. Who knew a simple shortening of hair could so dramatically alter someone's appearance. He looked like a man instead of a twelve-year-old genius just entering puberty. He had morphed into an exciting and sexy man with beautiful, ancient eyes that could read your soul and heart in an instant.

_If he looks up, you are in trouble._

The flush on her face got so hot she was sure she could cook an egg on her skin. She hastily lowered her eyes to his torso, which didn't help at all. The inactivity from his knee injury had added pounds to his lanky frame. Either that or the physical therapist he'd seen must have given him exercises to do. She could see just a hint of the hard body beneath the shirt. Oh God… She wanted to jump over the desk, rip off that shirt and drink him in in all his naked glory.

"Prentiss!"

She jerked out of her 'zone,' dropping her file on the floor, the pages scattering everywhere.

"Damn it Morgan!" She growled as she dived under her chair.

She frantically tried to collect her wits as she collected the pages. Then a pair of familiar shoes approached and Reid hunkered down beside her. "Here…" He picked up a couple of papers for her.

"Isn't that sweet," Morgan, said as they both stood up.

"Shut up Morgan! What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know why you were staring off into space. You awake."

"Mind your own business." She snapped. "Thanks Reid," she smiled at him as he passed her the last pages of her mess.

"Sure!"

He didn't seem to have noticed her face as he walked around to his desk. She buried her face in the file, trying to put it back into some kind of order.

Reid went back to his seat, passing in front of her as he made his way to his desk. She glanced up just as he passed, getting a close up view of his superior backside. His new slacks hugged it as if they had been tailored exactly to every curve.

"Emily!"

_Damn it!_

She looked over at Morgan who grinned at her. "See something you like!"

"Shut up Morgan." She left her file on the desk and almost ran to the ladies room.

Fortunately, the ladies room was empty. She dashed to the sink and opened up the cold tap. The water took her breath away as she threw it on her face. It didn't do much for the blush on her cheeks, but it had cleared her head. It was a good thing Reid hadn't noticed how she'd been looking at him. It was a really bad thing that Morgan had noticed. She'd never live it down.

She pulled towels off the dispenser and dried her face. She'd have to go back out there eventually. "Get out there and keep your eyes to yourself." She ordered her reflection. "Just keep saying, I'm not a cougar, I'm not a cougar."

_Yeah… That will work_

She threw the towels in the trash and drew in a deep breath. She was the daughter of diplomats after all. She could go out there and deal with Morgan and Reid. No problem. She'd had her afternoon delight. It was time to get serious!


	2. Have you been a naughty boy, Dr Reid?

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n here Reid's POV. I've been tempted by a couple of people to continue so I'm leaving this unfinished in case the muse decides to inspire me. If not, well... It's been fun. I love this pairing. Thanks for all your support.**_

_**Have you been a naughty boy, Dr. Reid?**_

"Hey Reid," Morgan prodded the young man hard in the shoulder.

"Stop it!" Reid ducked away from Morgan's hand. "I'm trying to work."

"Work can wait…" Morgan leaned up against Reid's desk. "There're more important things to worry about, like why Prentiss just ran out of here."

"She did?" Reid looked around as if he had missed something obvious.

"Yes! Didn't you see her jump out of her chair when I asked her if she saw something she liked?"

Reid looked up to see Morgan cross his arms and wink at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You didn't see how she was looking at you just now."

"No!"

"I don't believe you."

"She doesn't look at me any special way, except when I beat her at cards and she wonders if I cheated. It's not cheating if you're counting cards. It's all about manipulating the odds and probabilities to your advantage." Reid said, hoping his friend couldn't see the heat he felt in his face.

"Try telling that to Vegas." Morgan said. "I think you're lying through your teeth and trying to distract me. It won't work."

Emily chose that moment to walk back into the bullpen. Reid noticed a few drops of water on her face dripping down over her pink cheeks. He hadn't noticed her blushing. Is that what Morgan had meant? He had noticed her watching him, but… Women didn't think about him that way. He had many female friends who confided in him all the time, but no girlfriends.

"Hey Prentiss… I was just asking Reid if he happened to notice you staring at him. He's trying to wiggle out of it."

"Keep your voice down Morgan." She snapped under her breath. "It's none of your business what I do or who I look at."

"So you're not denying it?" Morgan smirked as she took her place behind her desk.

"No… The last time I checked, it's not against the law to lose focus and concentration."

"I think there's more to it than that." Morgan shook a finger between Reid and Emily.

"Think all you want. Get off my desk." Emily picked up a file and smacked him across the back. "I'm sure you have something better to do than torment me and Reid."

"Not really!"

"Morgan!"

"I'm going back to my desk, but I'm keeping an eye on you."

Emily looked around at the bullpen scowling at anyone that wasn't engrossed in his or her work. Her dark eyes flashed, bringing more heat to Reid's face as he watched her make the eavesdropping agents drop their eyes to work with just a look. She had such fascinating eyes. He always noticed people's eyes because you could learn a lot from the eyes. Someone said the eyes are the window to the soul. If that were so, then Emily must have the deepest, most beautiful soul in the world.

He was startled out of his thoughts by her voice. "You okay Reid?"

"What? Oh yeah… I was just thinking about this string of bank robberies in Chicago. The pattern's a little weird."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You always do." She smiled at him and he felt the blood rush out of his head to his stomach at the approval in her eyes.

"Thanks…"

She dropped her eyes to her file and something in his chest hurt at the loss. _Stop it and concentrate! _He ordered his brain.

He went back to his file, but he couldn't get his brain to tune out distraction. A pair of beautiful dark eyes kept popping up in his brain. He reached over for his coffee, hoping the caffeine would help. Instead, it had cooled to the point of tasting like battery acid. He resisted the urge to spit it out and get up for more.

Had she really been looking at him in a new way? He risked a look up at her, but she was working with her eyes on her file. Her dark hair fell past her face obscuring her right cheek so that he could only see part of her mouth. He swallowed hard when she pursed her lips in concentration. More blood rushed into his face and made his head go very light.

The lines of a song he'd heard when Morgan dragged him to a club suddenly pushed into his head. "See these shackles baby, I'm your slave. I'll let you whip me if I misbehave."

Why had that popped into his head? She'd never given him reason to think she'd be a dominatrix, but the thought had possibilities. He watched her read her file, as she twisted her pen around in her fingers. What if she got up and came around to his desk? He could see her dressed in a leather corset with a short skirt, high-heeled leather boots and a riding crop.

"_Have you been a naughty boy Dr. Reid?" She said, sitting on the edge of his desk while putting one boot up so that the skirt rode up just high enough for him to see the tops of her creamy thighs encased in fishnet stockings. _

"_Look at me when I'm talking to you Reid." She snapped the riding crop down on the desk. _

_He couldn't take his eyes off her thighs until she reached down and pulled his face up to look at her straight in her fathomless eyes. "Pay attention bad boy." _

"_Um…" His heart rate jumped into overdrive and his hands began to shake. "Yeah… I've been bad." _

"_Do you know what happens to bad little boys?" _

"_N -no…" _

_Her fingers tightened painfully around his face as her lips, painted scarlet lowered down to his mouth. His eyes closed. "Reid!" she said in Morgan's voice._

He jerked, looked up from Emily to Morgan who stood smirking at him. "I've been calling you for five minutes."

"No you weren't," Reid argued. "I looked at the clock when Emily came in. It's only been two minutes since she sat down."

He made his eyes stay off Emily even though he could sense that she was staring at him as Morgan teased him.

"Trust you to know the time to the exact second."

"Give it a rest Morgan." Emily snapped.

"Not until you admit something's in the air." Morgan said with some glee.

Emily stood up and confronted Morgan directly despite the fact that five other people weren't making any effort to hide their curiosity. "They only thing I sense in the air is a load of crap from you."

"Oh… that wasn't very nice at all Prentiss."

"Too bad for you," she put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. "Get out of here. I'd like to finish my work without any more comments from the peanut gallery."

"Fine… but this isn't over. Not by a long shot." He smiled at her and went back to his desk.

Reid immediately turned his face back to his files. _Just concentrate, you can do it._

He let a few minutes lapse before he looked up. Emily was staring at him. He didn't realize he was licking his lips as she smiled. She had such a bright smile. Too bad she wasn't wearing the scarlet lipstick she favored at the clubs.

"You okay Reid?" She whispered to him.

"Um… Yeah… I was just thinking."

"You think too much. You should just go with your gut." She winked at him and looked back at her file.

She picked up her phone and called some LEO while he tried to clear his head of her last words. Was it an invitation, or just an observation? She finished her call and started making notes in her file as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

_She's leaving it up to you. What are you going to do?_

Take a chance. The worst that could happen was that she'd slap him or hit him with a sexual harassment suit.

He managed to get through the rest of the day on sheer force of will. Morgan finally left at five. He'd been bragging about his hot date even though no one was listening. "Since you won't join me at the club," he said to Reid. "I guess you're on your own."

"Thank God!" Reid said.

He packed up his bag ten minutes later and headed for the elevator. "Hey wait up Reid." Emily said.

He put out a hand to stop the elevator. She got in and stood there without talking until they reached the garage. "So I'll see you later." She broke off and went to the right while he continued to the end of the concrete parking enclosure.

Suddenly, the thought of another weekend alone became unbearable. "Emily…" He yelled back, his voice joined the echoes of his feet as he hurried back to her.

She looked up from unlocking her car. "What is it Reid?"

"Was Morgan right, or was he just trying to get to me?" He had both his hands in his pockets with his fingers crossed.

"I'm not sure I know what you're asking." She said coyly.

"Look, this was a bad idea. I'll just go. Forget I said anything." He turned back for his car only to be stopped by her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry Reid. I know what you're asking. I'm just a little out of my depth here. I really like you so -"

"You do!" His voice went up three octaves.

"Yes… I was humiliated when Morgan noticed so I overreacted a little."

"Oh… Well what should we do? I like you too."

He wanted to drop into a hole in the ground, as his face got flaming hot again. He should have more control over his blushing reflex. Hotch never blushed. He'd never seen Rossi do it either. As for Morgan -"

"Hey… I'm sorry." She still held onto his arm and now she gave it a gentle squeeze. "Why don't we have dinner for starters? The rest will come in time…if you want it to."

"Yeah I do." Her perfume was making his head spin a little which he hoped to blame on his next comment. "Do you happen to have any fishnet stockings?" He asked her, proud that he spoke without stuttering.

Emily's eyebrows went up. "No… Should I buy a pair?"

"If y-you want too. I mean if you think you should, um…" He trailed off and stared at the car instead of her face.

"I think there's a side of you we've never seen." She returned to opening the door of her car. "I look forward to exploring it."

He gulped… Well, he'd been the one to make the first move. "Me too…" He squeaked, unable to talk further.

"How about that dinner at my place? Is eight o'clock tonight okay?" She asked.

"I'll be there at seven-forty-five."

"You are eager aren't you? If you're lucky I might just wear fishnets."

She got into the car and drove away leaving him gaping after her. Stuff like this only happened in the movies to geeky guys like him, didn't it. Still, his shoulders went up straight. He actually had a date with an older, beautiful and sexy woman. Maybe nice guys didn't finish last after all.


	3. The Best Laid Plans

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n here's the next chapter. Thank you all for your reviews and pms. More to come about the date soon. _**

**_The Best Laid Plans _**

Emily yanked open her front door, pushed it shut behind her and keyed in the code for her alarm. The traffic from Quantico had been horrible. An accident on the freeway had made her trip twice as long as it should have been. She looked at her watch and groaned. It was already after six pm.

Her bag went on the little side table just inside the door to her apartment along with her gun, holster and her cuffs. She stood in the entryway for a minute trying to decide what to do first. She needed to get ready, but she had promised him dinner.

"Why didn't you just ask him out to eat? You don't have time for everything." She scolded herself very loudly. "All he has to do is look at you with those puppy dog eyes. You melt away and give him anything he wants. That's not a good precedence to set Prentiss."

She sighed as she hurried into the kitchen. Who was she trying to kid? She'd never had a chance against his face, his hands, and his wonderful mind. It had just taken years for her to acknowledge it. Now, there was no going back, even if she wanted to.

"Unless you completely screw up tonight and scare him off."

She opened the door to the refrigerator and took out the roast she'd been planning to throw in the slow cooker the next morning. It would have to go into the oven instead, but first she needed to take a quick shower.

Twenty minutes later, she hurried back into the kitchen in her robe, slippers and her hair wrapped up in a bath towel. She shouldn't have taken the time to shave her legs. She was seriously behind schedule now.

She grabbed carrots and onions to put in with the roast, leaving them on the grey marble counter top. She pulled her Dutch oven out of the pantry and turned on the stove. It was hot by the time she'd finished preparing the vegetables. She went back to the fridge to see if she had anything for dessert. It looked like she had some vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. It wasn't original, but it would have to do. The meat finished browning in good time so she added some water covered it and headed back up to her bedroom.

The clock raced against her. It read almost seven when she went back upstairs to dry her hair. Why did the clock, which had moved so slowly in the bullpen that afternoon, have to race now when she needed more time.

_Stop wondering about the relationship between time and perception and get going._

Yeah… That was excellent advice. She turned on her hair dryer and began to primp. Twenty minutes later, she pulled out another outfit from her closet. Clothes were draped all over her bed, the Queen Ann chair in the corner, and on the light rose carpet.

She yanked on a pair of brand new black jeans and a black silk camisole. She had been running back and forth to the bathroom and her closet to see what each outfit looked like. She had already vetoed a halter-top dress, too dressy, a pair of faded blue jeans and a tee shirt, too casual, and several other choices. Now she stood in front of the mirror staring at her appearance in the jeans and camisole. Was it too much black? She wasn't going to a funeral. Maybe she should put on a black denim skirt in her closet. No… That one was way too short. Despite her teasing about fishnet stockings, she wasn't quite ready for that level of sexy. Reid would probably have an aneurysm if she wore it.

_Stop freaking out and finish with your hair. You are Emily Prentiss, daughter of Elizabeth Prentiss. You can do this._

She picked up her curling iron to add in a few curls when her phone rang. "Damn it." She decided to ignore it and finish with her hair. What if it's Reid calling to cancel? She put down the curling iron and ran for her phone. It was her mother.

"Mom!"

"_You sound out of breath Emily." _

"I had to run for the phone mother."

"_I'm surprised your home on a Friday night." _

"Mom… I'm busy. I don't have time to talk." Emily glanced at the clock. It read 7: 43 pm.

"_You never have time to talk to me Emily."_

"I'm sorry mom. I've been busy with work."

"_That's always your excuse. If you bury yourself in work, you'll never have time for a family." _

The clock numbers changed to 7:44 pm.

"I have a date mom. I'm going to be late!"

"_Oh… Is it anyone that I know?"_

"Yes mom… You know him; I just don't have time to talk about it right now. I promise I'll call you in morning and tell you all about it."

"_Alright… Be safe." _

"I will. Good bye mother."

She dropped her phone and ran back to the bathroom. Her doorbell rang as she picked up her curling iron. "Damn it!" She hurried out of the bedroom to the stairs. A look at the clock as she rushed by proclaimed it to be 7:45.

_That's when he said he'd be here. Remember? He doesn't make promises he doesn't keep and he's never late. Well, not since he got clean. Don't think about that or you'll talk about it and he never actually said…_

Her bell rang again. "I'm coming," she called out as she ran down the stairs.

She suddenly realized that her feet were bare and she'd forgot her perfume on top of no make up and half-curled hair. Well… it was too late now.

"Hi!" He squeaked giving her one of his little waves.

She stood there staring at him unable to say anything coherent. He wore a dark violet dress shirt with a pair of black slacks. His tie matched his shirt and his belt matched his pants. He'd left off his usual converse shoes for a pair of polished black dress shoes.

"Emily!" His voice, full of concern pushed through her thoughts.

She looked up at his choppy, sexy, new haircut and his addictive eyes that should be declared a health risk to women everywhere.

"Are you alright Emily?"

"Yeah… Um, come on in. You look great."

He went pink in the cheeks. God, she wanted to kiss him and forget about the fact that she hadn't finished getting ready.

"You look good too." He was staring at her bare feet.

"I'm running behind. I didn't have time for makeup or finish my hair.

He lifted his eyes to her face. "I think you're beautiful."

She felt her face getting hot. She hadn't blushed on a date since high school. Spencer Reid could make her feel like she was sixteen again, which felt good.

"Thank you!"

She finally noticed that he held a single pink rose in his hands, which he held out to her. "I wish this were as beautiful as you."

Tingles ran all over her body, pricking tears into her eyes. She blinked hard and hurried away from him into the kitchen. "Emily… did I say -"

"No! It's so beautiful." She said as she entered the kitchen. "I want to put it in some water."

It was at that moment that the smell pushed through her happy haze. "Damn it!" She shouted leaving the rose on the counter top.

She pulled on an oven mitt and lifted the top off the Dutch oven. The water had completely evaporated. The smell of very well done meat and burnt vegetables wafted into the kitchen. "Damn it!" She shouted again.

"Emily!" Reid said tentatively behind her.

She ripped off the gloves and turned on him. "Dinner's burnt!"

"Emily I don't care if -"

"I wanted it all to be perfect for you and now it's ruined."

"It's perfect because you're here." He said picking up the rose from the counter top. "Why don't we start over?"

She had to smile at his pleading puppy eyes. "Okay Dr. Reid. Thank you for the beautiful flower. I'll put it in some water. Why don't you go check out the view? It's fantastic."

He left the kitchen. She put the flower into a tall, slim, crystal vase her mother had given her for a house-warming gift. She eyed the mess on the stove and decided to leave it there for the time being.

She found Reid standing with his back to her looking out over the view. He didn't seem to hear her as she walked up behind him. She used the opportunity to let her eyes feast on his well-defined backside, his back and shoulders. Heat flared up in her stomach as she stared at the body of the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. She swallowed hard and reminded her hormones that this was going to be a 'chaste' first date, not an excuse to have her way with him.

_It's been a long time so a little more time isn't going to matter one way or the other._

She took in a deep breath and spoke. "Hey Reid… I found a vase pretty enough to hold your rose."

He turned around and smiled at her. "It's not a beautiful as you are."

The heat raced back up to her face. He'd made her blush in the space of ten minutes. Perhaps being alone here was a bad idea.

"You have an amazing view. Did you know this building was constructed in 1970? It's been owned by businessmen, a senator and -"

"A gigolo," Emily reminded him. "How did you know about that by the way?" She put the rose on her glass coffee table. "Sit down if you like." She dropped onto the long sofa, upholstered in light gray suede.

She pulled up her legs onto the sofa and gestured to him to join her. He stood staring at her for a long time, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Finally, he sat down in the corner of the sofa were it became a short el.

"You have a beautiful place." He said.

"Thanks… I admit that I moved here for the view."

He didn't speak again, and the silence started to become uncomfortable. "Reid?"

"What?"

"I wanted to apologize for earlier today. It was wrong of me to be so unprofessional. I drew too much attention to us."

He smiled shyly at her. "I was just going to apologize for the same thing."

Emily reached out and ran a fingertip along his arm. "You don't have to apologize Reid. I'm the one that was blind to what stood in front of me for so long."

"Emily…"

"Shhh…" She grasped his left hand gently with her right hand. "Let me say this. When I started with the BAU, all I wanted was the chance to prove myself to my mother. I put everything else I ever wanted, like a family in the back of my mind. I remember the first time I saw you. I thought you looked like you should be in college not the BAU."

"No one likes my clothes." Reid complained with good humor.

"There's no accounting for taste." Emily replied.

"I love your sarcastic sense of humor." Reid said.

She squeezed his hand feeling the beating of his heart in her fingertips. "And I like your new body and haircut. You've become quite a sexy and exciting man."

"I'm nothing special." Reid insisted.

Emily slid nearly into his lap and took his face into her free hand so he couldn't move it. "Listen to me Spencer Reid. I don't know who you've been listening to, but you're so much more than our walking encyclopedia."

"But -"

"What do I have to do to make you understand?"

He licked his lips as she stared into his eyes. She waited wishing that the moment could go on and on as her racing heart synchronized and began beating in time with his heart.

"I never thought you'd see me." Reid whispered.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"It's not your fault. Just because I liked you doesn't mean you have to respond."

"I know, but somehow I always knew I loved you from the first moment."

"I think I love you too." He stammered, blushing bright red.

"Then its okay," she replied leaning into kiss him.

He pulled her into his lap holding her close to his heart. Her mouth moved over his with purpose and strength. He tasted like coffee and love. He smelled like the promise of spring when the sun shines on new green grass and brightly colored flowers, and the sky is a deep beautiful blue.

His mouth opened under the probing force of her tongue. She tasted the coffee on his tongue and smiled against his mouth. The heat of his tongue licking over her teeth ignited her womanly center into flames. He groaned and tangled his hands into her hair. His hard length pressed into her abdomen as she pulled him as close to her as she could get.

He broke off the kiss and gently pushed her away. "I think I should go."

"You just got here," She panted trying to pull him close again.

"I came just for dinner." He reminded her.

"What if I want more than a meal?" She asked, stroking her hands through his hair.

"I'm not ready." His face went pink. "I don't have any experience with women."

"Oh…" She smiled at him. "Then I suppose we'll have to take it slow."

"Not too slow," he breathed.

"No, not too slow," She agreed. She slid out of his lap and stood up. "Why don't I take a look in the fridge and see if there's anything to eat."

"As long as it's not leftover Chinese take out." He requested.


	4. SousChef or Card Shark

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n here's the next part of the date. Please enjoy. _**

**_Sous-Chef or Card Shark _**

"What are you doing?" Reid asked from the doorway to her kitchen.

She had the door to the refrigerator opened and was rummaging around inside. He was enjoying the view of her cute butt sticking out of the door. Her black jeans fit very nicely over her curves and now he could enjoy them fully without worrying about anyone noticing.

"Jackpot!" She stood up and backed out of the fridge.

He decided he liked her butt better when she bent over so that the fabric of the jeans pulled nice and tight.

"What are you staring at?"

The wonderful haze of ogling her ass faded in the wake of her irritated voice. Her eyes had that look she got when a witness or a suspect lied to her.

"I - um… I was just wondering what you were looking for."

"I don't believe you Dr. Reid."

Well, he could tell her the truth and perhaps risk a slap, or he could lie through his teeth and hope she bought it.

"I was looking at… um, I just came in here to see what you were doing and -"

"You thought you'd ogle my ass." She finished for him.

"Are you mad?"

_Keep your eyes on the nearest exit! _

There was only one exit from her apartment and she would probably tackle him before he could get to her front door.

She strolled casually to him. She was smiling at him like a shark circling a school of fish. "I'm not mad at you. After all, we have a new understanding right?"

He backed away from her, through the door of her kitchen and into the back of her couch. "Right… So you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind if you stare at me like I'm some sort of object." She put one hand on his chest and lightly pushed.

"I'm not… I didn't… um, wow."

Emily grabbed his tie and pulled him forward so that his face was inches from her lips. "I don't mind at all as long as you know that I'll be ogling you every chance I get." She let go of his tie and he stumbled back against the couch.

He knew that he should be afraid, but he couldn't quite make his hands tremble. Instead, he felt very aroused by her declaration.

_Down boy… You promised each other you would take it slowly._

"Have we reached a satisfactory agreement?" She asked as if they had just concluded a new business deal. She even stuck her hand out for him to shake.

He took her hand and she squeezed it very tightly. She smiled again and held up what she'd been looking for in the fridge. "If you're through staring at my ass Dr. Reid, I found dinner."

"What is it?"

"Since I ruined the roast, I thought we could have a junk food night instead. You like junk food don't you Reid."

"Yeah…"

She left him standing there. He kept his eyes carefully away from her backside as he followed her back in the kitchen.

"This is pre-made pizza crust. I have cheese, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms. There should be some green peppers and olives too."

"I don't like mushrooms." Reid said as she opened the canister of pre-made crust.

"Turn on the oven to 375 please."

He went to the stainless steel oven. He looked at the dials, relieved that they were simple enough for a child to use. He turned it on while she cleaned up the mess from the ruined dinner. She gave him a knife and told him to cut up the peppers.

"I don't cook." He squeaked.

"You're about to learn." She said. "Wash it off first," She instructed as she put water into the Dutch oven to soak.

"Okay!"

He took the pepper to the sink and washed if off in cold water. Emily found a cutting board and gave him a knife. "Just cut off the top and pull out the ribs and seeds."

He carefully cut into the pepper and pushed the top to one side of the cutting board. The ribs and the seeds were obvious to him so he began removing them. The seeds didn't want to cooperate, sticking to his damp fingers like little magnets. Maybe they had some kind of chemical properties that made them adhere to human skin. He made a mental note to check it out on the internet.

"Staring at the pepper won't get it cut." Emily said from behind him.

He jumped and she laughed. "That wasn't funny… I could have cut off my finger!"

"You're not holding the knife." She pointed to the sharp, shiny object on his cutting board that was nowhere near his hands.

"Oh right, well the principal remains the same," he lectured her.

"Whatever!" She pulled a paper towel off the roll attached to the underside of the oak cabinet. "Here, let's get that out of the way. She cleaned up the guts of the pepper while Reid rinsed his hands under the modern stainless steel faucet.

"Okay, just cut the pepper in half lengthwise and then dice them."

He regarded her with extreme wariness. "You can do it, just go slowly. Tell me something I don't know about pizza."

He picked up the knife and began slicing the pepper like Emily showed him. "There's a huge controversy around who invented the pizza. It actually evolved rather than sprang into being. As early as 1000AD the Romans used the word, pizza. It means pie. Ancient Romans would typically have meals of flat bread with other foods on top of them. That type of pizza is what we know today as focaccia. The invention of pizza began in Naples in a shop known as Port Alba. It was a food for peasants and consisted of flat bread, tomato sauce and cheese."

He realized that by the time he finished with his little lecture, he finished dicing the peppers. He had actually done something helpful in the kitchen without cutting his hand off. He grinned up at Emily who'd just finished putting canned pizza sauce on the crust.

"Very good Dr. Reid, I may have to keep you around as my sous-chef."

"That's really funny." He retorted.

"I'm serious… You did really well. How about something a little easier, like putting the pepperoni on top of the sauce?" She indicated a package of pre-cut pepperoni slices.

"Okay… I can do that!" He said excitedly picking up the package and reaching inside.

Emily smirked and shook her head. She went to work on some red onion slices. She cut some mushrooms for one side of the pie, as she liked mushrooms. She put everything in separate bowls and headed for the pantry and a can of sliced black olives.

"I'm done," Reid said as she came back to the counter with her can of olives.

"Now put on the onions and the peppers."

He layered them evenly over the surface of the pizza. He liked the different colors on the round pizza pan. He remembered on boring Saturday afternoon turning on the Food Network. The chef doing the cooking on that particular show said that color is important in presenting food.

"Looks good," he said as she put mushrooms on a portion of the pizza and black olives over the rest of the pie.

"Yes it does… Now we're going to put it in the oven for about thirty minutes." She said, carefully picking up the pizza pan.

"Um… aren't we missing something?" He pointed at the bags of pre-shredded mozzarella, Romano, and cheddar cheeses.

"That goes on about five minutes before we take it out. That way it melts but doesn't get hard. I like stretchy cheese. It's more fun."

"I'm learning so many new things about you." Reid said as he watched her put the pizza in the oven.

"Stick with me and you may learn more than you ever expected." She winked at him.

He gulped and decided to clean up rather than look in her dark, bottom-less eyes. This night meant harmless fun and escape from, blood, pain and terror. For the first time since he had started with the BAU, he felt like all the weight of the job just lifted away from his shoulders.

"So Reid, what else do you want to do tonight?"

"How about a movie?" He said, "Or we can play poker," he suggested innocently.

"If you insist on losing to me again then so be it." She replied as he rinsed off his chopping knife.

"That one time was a fluke Emily."

"I don't think so! I can beat you anytime I want." She insisted while loading the dishwasher.

"Bring it on!" Reid challenged.

He wiped down the counter tops while Emily went through some of the kitchen drawers. "Damn, I can't remember where I put my deck of cards." She said.

"I have one in my messenger bag."

"Of course you do, but I think I'll use my own if you don't mind." Emily said, pushing the drawer shut.

"I found them," She held out a brand new pack of cards.

"If you insist." He held up his hands in surrender. "What're the stakes this time?" He asked.

She pulled out a bag of Dove's chocolate truffles. "Is that okay for you? "

"Looks good," He licked his lips and she grinned.

Emily sat next to Reid with her feet up on the couch. His arm circled her shoulders while his hand played with her hair. The touch of his fingers had a calming influence on her she'd never felt with anyone else in her life.

The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers played on her television. The room was dark and chocolate candy wrappers, popcorn and the remnants of pizza littered the coffee table. Two wine glasses stood on the table each bearing a small amount of white wine.

She stretched and Reid sighed. She hadn't eaten this much junk food in a long time, but it had tasted so good. She'd worry about her diet in the morning. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You smell good." He whispered.

"It's my shampoo… It has mint in it."

"I like it." He held her closer to his body.

She'd been right about his new hard body. She could feel the musculature under his skin and it made little goose bumps jump out on her arms. "You've been working out Spencer Reid."

She couldn't see him blushing in the dark and the low light coming from the television, but it was a good bet that he was scarlet.

"I like it." She said, moving up to plant a kiss on his warm mouth.

"You do?" He squeaked.

"Yep… I was thinking this afternoon when Morgan started teasing me that I wanted to jump across the desk and rip off your shirt so I could lick you up like maple syrup."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Emily!"

"I'm sorry… I know I promised to be good."

"It's okay…" He assured her.

Emily hugged him tighter, then went back to watching the movie. Sometime during the battle of Helms Deep, she fell asleep.


	5. A New Beginning

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n here's the last chapter my doves. Thanks for your kind support all. _**

**_A New Beginning_**

Reid blinked against bright sunshine filling the room around him. He tried to see his surroundings clearly, because he didn't quite remember where he was or what he'd been doing.

His neck hurt from the kink put in it due to sleeping with his head tilted back against a couch. He sat up straight, yawned and rubbed at his sore neck. The room finally focused as did the coffee table full of the debris from the night before and the color of the couch. Right… He'd stayed with Emily that night.

He stood up smiling and stretched his arms up over his head. His bladder throbbed painfully. He knew she had a bathroom on the first floor, but he should ask to use it first. He looked around noticing that Emily wasn't anywhere to be found.

He went back to the kitchen. A pot of coffee perked merrily along in the maker. The smell finally pushed its way into his brain. The problem was this, go to the bathroom or wait for coffee.

"Hey," Arms circled his waist and he jerked just a little. "You're awake. I should have known you'd make a beeline for the coffee."

He clasped his hand over hers and squeezed them. "Actually, I was wondering if I can use your bathroom."

"You don't have to ask, mi casa es su casa!"

"Technically this is a brownstone or a townhouse, not a house." He informed her.

She rolled her eyes and flapped her arms. "Whatever! Just go use the bathroom already. I don't want to be responsible for any prostate damage."

He went pink in the cheeks. "I don't think holding it a little longer will cause permanent damage."

"I certainly hope not! I want all of you in perfect working order when our relationship goes to the next level."

"Emily!" His face flamed.

"Alright… Go take care of business before you burst."

He escaped to the bathroom feeling very much like a small boy in class given permission to go to the toilet. At least she hadn't laughed at him.

When he finished up and went back to the kitchen, Emily was pouring out coffee into a dark green ceramic mug. "Feel better," she smirked at him.

"Yes… Thank you," He pulled the coffee pot toward him and one of her green mugs. "That coffee smells divine."

"Divine? You're using words like divine in relation to coffee." She poured a little cream into her cup and stirred it slowly with her spoon.

"Can't help it… Coffee is the ambrosia of the Gods." He declared.

"Give me a break Reid. Do you want something to eat or are you still stuffed from last night?"

"I'm not really that hungry, but something sweet," he said, as he looked around for the sugar "would be excellent. Where's your sugar?"

"Sorry… I only have Splenda." She said pouring it from a small container.

"That's a crime." Reid pointed his spoon at her. "You're polluting perfectly good coffee."

"After last night's junk food binge, I need to be a good girl this morning."

"Fine…" He whined and put some of the sugar substitute in his coffee.

He stirred it for a long time stalling the moment when he actually has to taste the coffee. Emily didn't say anything; she just sat opposite him in a pink terrycloth robe with a towel around her hair and smirking. He resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at her because she still looked so beautiful. It wasn't fair.

"It's going to get cold if you don't stop stalling." She finally said placidly.

He frowned down at the coffee, and then took a sip. "It doesn't taste the same." He said.

"It's exactly the same."

"No… It's not!" He insisted.

"Whatever," She grinned. "You'll have to deal with it. I have to watch my weight."

"No you don't," he argued. "You're perfect just he way you are."

"That's so sweet!" She said, "But that doesn't mean I'm buying sugar just for you."

"Emily?"

"Yes."

"I hope you know that I didn't come over here with the intention of spending the night." He revealed as though it were some great secret.

"I know that Reid. Nothing happened if you remember." She teased.

"I'm serious!"

His hand trembled on the cup of coffee he held up to his lips. What if she didn't understand what he wanted to tell her? It could all be over with one wrong word.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Just that I've loved you for so long; I've been plotting ways to just stop by and see you. The problem was that nothing I came up would have worked. You're a great profiler and you would've known."

She didn't respond, as he waited for her judgment on his bonehead statements. He should have kept his mouth shut.

"I'm not mad at you." She finally said. "I think yesterday was a catalyst for me. Ever since Colorado and Cyrus, things have been different. I know you can take care of yourself, but when he asked whom the FBI agent was I found myself standing up and admitting to it without thinking of the consequences. I mean, I knew what I was doing, but it didn't occur to me until later that I wanted to spare you more pain. I hope I didn't hurt you."

He put down his coffee and studied her. For the third time in less than a day, she blushed under his gaze. She didn't seem to know what to do with her spoon so she played with it. "Emily… Look at me."

She looked up at him.

"You didn't bruise my male ego." He said. "You told me it was your choice and not my fault. I believed you and I've put it past me."

"What I mean to say is after the compound blew up; I think that's when I knew I was falling for you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything then."

"My mother said that when I was ready the right woman would come along. I guess I'm ready now."

Emily smirked at him. "So I'm the right one am I?"

Blood rushed to his face. "I didn't put that right." He squeaked.

"I know what you mean." She reached over and took his hand. "So why don't we just start at the beginning and tell Hotch."

His heart started pounding in his chest at the use of Hotch's name. Still… He knew she was right. It wouldn't be in their best interests to try to hide it from their boss. "I'll t-tell him." He said.

"I can go in on Monday morning and tell him if you like." She argued.

"No… I'll tell him."

"We should go in together if we're going to be together." She pointed out.

"Okay, we'll go in together." He agreed raising his coffee cup in salute.

Cmcmcmcmcm

Morgan entered the bullpen last on Monday morning. He looked like someone had put vinegar in his morning coffee to Emily as she watched him take his seat at his desk.

"What's wrong Morgan?" She asked as she began sorting her files into three piles.

"Nothing that a strong cup of coffee won't cure."

"Are you hung over?" Reid asked, bringing Emily a cup of coffee.

She reached over and touched his arm briefly as Morgan eyed them balefully. "Alright, are we going to pick up where we left off on Friday with you two?"

Reid put his coffee on the desk and reached for Emily's hand. "What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Since when do you hold hands in the office and generally act like a couple of lovesick birds. It's making my head ache."

They let go of each other's hands and sat down at their respective desks. "Just because you struck out on your date, doesn't mean you have to take it out on us." Reid said mildly.

"Good one Spencer." Emily said.

"Oh man… Now you're calling him Spencer. I may puke." Morgan said.

"Shut up and tell us about your date." Emily pointed at him. "We want to hear all about it."

"I don't want to talk about it." Morgan picked up his coffee cup and stood up. "I think I'll go rat you two out to Garcia. That will make her day and mine, come to think of it."

"We already told everyone else." Emily told him with a smirk. "If you'd been on time today, you wouldn't have missed it."

Morgan stopped in his tracks. "No way is this legitimate."

"Yes it is." Reid said. "Get used to it Morgan."

"Wonderful!" Morgan headed off to the break room. "Just don't kiss in the office or anything. I don't think I can handle it!"

Emily winked at Reid. "Now that's the best Monday morning I've had in a long time."

"Me too," Reid agreed. "Emily?" He asked his new girlfriend.

"What?"

He smiled and said in conspirator's tone "Do you have any ideas on tormenting Morgan tomorrow?"


End file.
